Infringed
by amberchanwrites
Summary: Aoba was gone. Just disappeared. But they found him. Now, all he needs is a little reminder of what life was like before he was hurt.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first story so please be kind ๑´ ▽ `๑) I'd really appreciate reviews so please do if you read! And…that's it for now eeepp~

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><p>Aoba was missing.<p>

One day. Fine.

Four days. Okay…

A week. Something's up.

Three weeks. Something's very, _very _wrong.

When he checked in Aoba's room the morning following his departure (a departure he was unaware of until he read the note on the fridge) and saw that he and Ren were gone, he felt his stomach turn, his body already telling him that something was wrong. He looked for Ren, wanting to ask if he knew where Aoba had gone to, but he couldn't find the Allmate. He turned the house upiside down, looking to see if maybe Aoba had come home late and fallen asleep in some arbitrary place, but he couldn't be found. He though of asking the other occupants of the house if they had seen Aoba the previous night, but he didn't want to share this with them.

At least not yet.

So he took his search else where.

As the days passed, Koujaku searched every place he could think of and asked anyone and everyone, but he couldn't find any traces of his childhood friend.

He eventually contacted Tae-san, asking if he could speak to Aoba, hoping that the bluenett had perhaps made his way home without saying anything, but she seemed confused, and he felt his heart drop. Aoba left a note saying that he left with Koujaku, so why wouldn't he be there. She asked him what he was on. Perhaps he drank too much. Tae-san told him that he and her stupid grandson better not be hitting up any clubs. She said she wanted to have a word or two with her baka grandson. Her subtle way of asking if everything was alright.

Her way of unconsciously asking if something happened to her grandson.

Koujaku laughed into the phone and apologized, telling Tae-san that he and Aoba had indeed been drunk last night and that Aoba wanted him to get into contact with her so that she knew they were alright. He told her that Aoba was currently getting over a hangover but he would call her again in the next couple of weeks. Maybe a couple of months. Depended on how busy they were. Glitter was a fast-paced place after all. But Aoba would be fine.

Just fine.

He then hung up after a quick goodbye, not wanting to lie anymore than he had to.

After five days of avoiding he got in contact with Clear (well, more like Clear got in contact with him) whose presence could be summed up in one word: despair. He couldn't find Master. Master had gone into hiding and wouldn't come out he said. If he wasn't there to watch him, Master might fall asleep and never wake up. Looking at Koujaku with those eyes hidden by the mask worn on his face, eyes that Koujaku assumed were full of tears, he asked him to tell Master that he was sorry for whatever he'd done. He didn't like it when Master hated him.

After calming Clear down by assuring him that Aoba by no means hated him (or really anyone for that matter), Koujaku told Clear that Aoba wasn't hiding anywhere. He just went on a trip without telling them and ended up getting lost.

They just needed to find him.

Noiz (the bastard) ended up making an appearance around the eleventh day mark, absent-mindedly stating that he had been patient enough as Koujaku and Aoba had their time together, and demanded that Koujaku release Aoba from his imprisonment. After a few choice words and a couple of thrown fists (only to be intercepted by Clear) he told the usagi that Aoba hadn't come back to Glitter since he left that night.

That night almost two weeks ago.

Although he hated the kid, Koujaku felt a wave of relief when he saw the kid's almost nonexistent eyebrows raise a couple inches in a worried arc.

And so they searched together.

Because they all hoped that together they might find him.

But they didn't.

It was like Aoba and Ren had just disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Clear had searched almost every corner of the island. Noiz tried checking all the street cameras. Koujaku tried talking to as many people as he could, sending out other gang members to talk to as many people as they could. Even Mink, who just grunted when Koujaku had informed him of Aoba's absence, seemed to be doing what he could to gain information.

Even when he was gone, Aoba could bring people together.

It was day upon day of searching, asking, hoping, _praying._

Upon passing the three month mark, though, their resolve was gone.

No amount of people would be able to find him.

Their seach was pointless.

They had nothing.

That's just how it was.

Aoba was gone.

And that was that.

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><p>It had been six months.<p>

Six months since his disappearance.

And things had gone back to normal.

Or as normal as things could be without him.

Noiz was still playing Rhyme, and occasionally visiting the Junk Shop as if hopeful that one day, his blue haired angel would be behind the counter, smiling and laughing that they had all fallen for his joke.

Clear had decided to take residence with Tae-san, at least for now. However, she welcomed him with open arms. His days were spent wandering and sitting on the roof, swapping recipes and cooking tips with Tae-san, and, at the end of the day, curling up on Master's bed until he sung himself to sleep.

He wanted to keep his bed warm for when he returned.

Mink seemingly dissapeared after they called the search off. There was no point to him sticking around any longer than he had to. He only put up with them for Aoba's sake. And with no Aoba, there was no reason for him to care.

Koujaku had (reluctantly) gone back to his job. Cutting hair. He would occasionally visit Clear and Tae-san, though, and after Noiz (and once in a blue moon, Mink) made an appearance, they would eat together. Leaving his spot empty of course.

It was hard, but they had to move on.

Not look back, but forward, cause that'd be what he wanted.

So they did.

Until Mizuki woke up.

"W-where's Aoba?"

Mizuki's voice pierced through the white calm that had established itself in the room, his concern tinting it a dark red.

That was the first question he asked, and after month's of silence, Koujaku was unprepared. Saying his name was like a taboo now. And he had no answer for his question. After six months, he had no answer for his question. So he replied as honestly as he could.

"He's gone."

A blank stare. Head slightly tilting. Fists grabbing at the sheets.

"He's…he's dead?"

Hands found their way into his kimono sleeves.

"No. He's not dead Mizuki. At least, I'd hope not. He's just…gone."

But Mizuki would not accept it.

Dry Juice would search, he told him. They would find him. They would do what Aoba's so called 'friends' failed to do after so long.

Koujaku took his comments like a blow to the chest, but didn't have the heart to tell him that there was no point. That Aoba had left zero trace.

He was gone.

But they did find him.

Koujaku didn't bother to ask who or how or why, why they were able to find him while he couldn't. He didn't care at the moment.

A house. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Two guys, named Trip and Virus. Part of Morphine.

Aoba, looking for parts for Ren. Taken by these two guys.

In their captivity for the past seven months.

Still with them.

But not for long.

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><p>"Aoba…Aoba-san…"<p>

The inside of the house was almost completely silent, save for their soft footsteps on the carpeted hallway floor and Koujaku's occasional murmur into the darkness. His right hand ran along the hall's wallpaper, feeling for any sign of a door, while Noiz did the same with his left hand. It was dark though, and they didn't know which room held Aoba. So they resorted to checking every room they could find.

When he felt the dip in the wall, followed by the feel of wood underneath his fingertips, he reached out to get Noiz's attention.

"There's a door here," he whispered. "I'll check this room, but you should go check to see if you can find any others."

Even in the dark Koujaku could see Noiz's silhouette nod and continue down the hall.

He then slowly opened the door.

And the air in the room felt like it was suffocating him.

He had to blink a few times when entering, his eyes weren't yet used to the light. When his eyes had adjusted, he saw the room. Almost everything was black, quite plain actually, with the only noticeable things including the massive bed in the middle of the room, the side table filled with various different kinds of wine, and, in the bathroom, a suspicious metal box. He walked around it a couple times and looking on the inside, he saw small insignificant scratch marks on the inside of one of the walls. Maybe an animal was kept in there.

Perhaps Ren was here...

Upon further inspection, he saw a couple things in the room that he found…_disturbing._

Going through closets and checking in every space he could see, he found there was a large variety of things underneath the bed. Restraints, blindfolds, bottles of pills and 'other' things, and…some things that shouldn't be mentioned. Close inspection of the top of the bed showed that whoever resided in this room obviously forgot to clean some stains that were on their sheets.

He looked away.

'Dammit'.

"_Koujaku!"_

The scream came from down the hall.

It was the brat.

But even so, he ran as fast as his legs could take him.

Stumbling through the dark hallways, making twists and turns as the walls changed in direction, he found the room with the open door, light spilling out into the hallway.

"What is it?! What-"

His eyes widened.

And his heart stopped.

Noiz was there on the floor of the room, reaching out under the bed, his face flushed and hands shaking. He eventually pulled out an arm, pale and limp.

Noiz then looked to Koujaku, face stoic but eyes wavering. "I need help," he said, turning back to the arm and gripping it, careful to avoid the bruises that covered it.

"We need to get him out, but I don't want to hurt him."

Koujaku stared for a couple seconds but somehow made his way to the side of the bed, where the two silently and carefully pulled the figure from underneath the bed.

The whole arm.

Then his leg.

His head soon made and appearance.

And then he was out.

Once he was removed from under the bed, the restraints and the blindfold were removed from his body.

And he was free.

Noiz immediately got up and started looking around the room. Koujaku first thought that maybe he was searching for the guys who did this, maybe he forgot that they came while the guys were on a trip, but he ended up pushing the table that was next to the bed, a loud clattering sound as the bottles of wine and metal plates holding sweets were dropped onto the floor.

Koujaku felt the little body in his arms jump.

So he ignored the raging usagi and started gently running his hands though his friend's hair.

With his azure locks sprawled out on his lap, Koujaku could clearly see where they had cut his hair, half of his hair ending in rough, jagged lines at his jaw line. His silky ivory skin and rosy checks were gone, replaced with the pale emptiness of a carcass. _It wasn't natural. It wasn't right._ Obvious malnutrition made it seem like there was only paper covering his bones. You could count everyone on his body, and almost see them quake as his body quivered and shuddered with every breath he took. His body was littered with marks. Cuts. Bruises. _Fucking animal bites_. On his arms, his wrists, on his neck, on his waist and thighs. No part of him was left unmarked.

And he was filthy. There wasn't a single portion of his naked body that looked unscathed. Dried around his mouth, there was something pink and sticky. On his chest, unwashed blood from the cuts and scrapes. And coated on his thighs and stomach...

_Fuck._

Koujaku looked, looked for any sign of life besides the pulse that he got from putting his fingers over the lines that ran across his wrist. There was no movement. There was no sound. And even though his eyes were open, there was nothing there.

Golden and beautiful he remembered. Even when he cried when they were younger, they sparkled. They were luminescent. They were the sun to his moon, and kept him forever grounded. But now they looked right past him. Void. Empty. Lackluster.

Gone.

Koujaku felt the weight on his lap lessen and saw Noiz hoist Aoba onto his back. He didn't look down at him.

"Get up. We need to go."

He began walking out, leaving Koujaku still sitting there in the floor.

"Dry your tears, stupid."

He hadn't even realized he had started crying. But they wouldn't stop.

They wouldn't stop.

"He needs our help."

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><p>Clear and Mizuki turned from their place at the front door when they heard the sounds from behind them. They tensed and got ready to defend Koujaku and Noiz from whoever may have entered the house from behind them, but when they saw it was them, with Noiz carrying someone on his back, they ran up to them.<p>

And stopped dead in their tracks.

Noiz continued walking forward without a word, and Koujaku followed close behind him.

"Come on guys," he said. "We can leave now."

Clear stepped forward, trying to smile. "B-but, Koujaku-kun, what about Aoba-san?"

Mizuki stared intently at Koujaku.

Clear's smile was beginning to metastasize regardless of his will.

They were waiting for him to say it.

Koujaku continued walking out and didn't turn back.

"Noiz has him, Clear, and we're gonna take him home. We found him."

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><p>AN: Welp, that's all for now (don't kill me plz) Please review cause I'll love you forever and I'll see you when the next chapter goes up • v •


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: OMF so apparently the most amazing people in the world visit this site because holy fuck people you are amazing. Six favs, twelve follows, and FOUR reviews! /smooches you all But seriously, thank you so much ; A ; And here's another chapter. I made some adjustments to chapter one so you might want to read it again before reading this but you don't have to. Just saiyan'. So yeah. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><em>Pain soon became his very essence, the fog of darkness splattered and marked with red staining his consciousness and spreading underneath his skin like a disease. It was this place again. It was <em>always _this place. The same one every night, where he is pinned down and used and hurt and pulled in every direction by torturers who ravish his pain like its a present bestowed upon them. _

_And he always screamed._

_He told himself that if he stopped making sounds, if he stopped being scared, if he stopped doing _anything, _that they would leave him alone. They would leave him in peace. They would grow tired of him just like he had. But as their hands would grip his thighs and force his legs apart, his hope would leave him, and the tears would somehow come back to rolling down his cheeks. _

_No matter how many times he had to do it, it never hurt any less. It never got any easier._

_With every scream, every sob, every cry of distress, every moaned apology for something that wasn't his fault, they would wrap their arms around him, envelope him into their embrace, and they would whisper sweet nothings into his ear._

_"Aoba-san..."_

_No..._

_"Look how cute you are like this..."_

_Don't touch me..._

_"Don't you just have so much fun with us Aoba-san?"_

_Leave me alone..._

_"We care about you."_

_"We care about you so much Aoba-san"_

_"We can't wait until that resolve of yours is gone."_

_"You belong to us."_

_No._

_Shut up_

_Shut up!_

_ShutupshutupshutuppleasestoppleaseleavemealoneIdon'twantanymorepleaseI'msorryhelpmehelpmehelpme_

_"We love you Aoba-san."_

_We love you..._

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><p>Koujaku's hands were shaking, but he willed himself to keep them steady. His eyes were narrowed and he lightly swiped his hands across his sweaty brow. Someone had to stay level headed and calm and he felt that if anyone was able to do this, it was him.<p>

At least, it should be him.

"...Koujaku."

He realized that his name was being called. He turned to find Mizuki looking down at him from his place on the bathroom floor, holding in his arms a pair of pajama pants and a soft sweater. He was confused, but then realized that he had left the bath water running and had forgotten to turn it off. He cursed to himself and went to turn the faucet. The water had gone cold.

"Hold on a second," he told Mizuki. "Let me run another bath. This one's too co-"

"Just put him him," Noiz stated from across the room.

Koujaku's eyes narrowed. The usagi didn't even look his way. "What," he asked, "do you want him to freeze to death?"

Noiz didn't even flinch. "No," he said, "but the cold water will be better for him than the hot water, at least for now. We don't need him coming to only to find that every part of is body is burning."

Koujaku's eyes widened.

And that was it. No further discussion. Koujaku didn't want to do anything that would disturb Aoba any further.

He looked around the bathroom and asked Mizuki, "Where is Aoba?"

Mizuki didn't stop from gathering supplies from the first aid kit to answer him. "He's outside with Clear. Clear said something about how 'master didn't like it when there was a lot of people in a small room'. So he went outside with him. They should still be there."

Koujaku found Clear curled up on the couch with Aoba cradled in his lap, lightly stroking his hair and murmuring a sweet lullaby that he hoped would drive away his master's bad dreams. He walked up to them.

"Clear," he said softly, hoping not to disturb the peace, "we need to get Aoba in the bath, okay?" and he reached out to grab Aoba's body from Clear's embrace.

"NO!"

The calm of the room was instantly shattered, as if there was a dark blanket strewn overcast it, and Koujaku's hand drew back. The robot's scream had seemingly startled the body it was trying to protect, and as Clear tried to make him disapear from view, Aoba's body began to shake, shudders making their way up and down his body. Clear's eyes went from Koujaku to Aoba, pink reflective pools of anger and fear.

Koujaku's eyes softened.

"Clear..."

"No!" And once again, he drew back, eyes still going back and forth from Koujaku to Aoba. "You leave him alone!" Even when trying to sound strong and angry, Koujaku could still sense the soft undertones, still hear his voice wavering.

He moved closer and put his hand on Clear's arm, smiling at him. "It's okay, Clear," he reassured him. "We're just gonna give Aoba a bath, alright? He's dirty right now and we wanna do what we can to make him feel as comfortable as possible, right."

Clear just stared at him.

And then let the tears fall.

"Master won't wake up," he cried, his eyes wide and child like, the innocence playing tag with reality in the background. "He's going to stay sleeping forever and Clear will never get to tell Master that he loves him."

And with that, he felt a pain in his chest. It hurt.

"That's not true," Koujaku told him, while gently prying Aoba from his grasp, carefully placing his fingers along the boys arms. "We're gonna help him, and were gonna make things right again." He looked into his eyes. "But Aoba needs you to be strong for him when he can't be for himself, alright?"

Empty glance, tears still falling, the robot smiled and nodded.

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><p>The last thing Koujaku expected was for Aoba to start screaming.<p>

He managed to get Aoba comfortably in the bath, with Noiz holding him by the shoulders and Mizuki keeping his head up, but the minute his body came into contact with the water, his frame tensed. And as hands gently washed his body, he flinched, unconsciously drew away from him. Noticing the reaction, Koujaku looked at his face.

Only to see two golden eyes staring back at him.

"Aoba?"

A blink.

"Aoba, can you hear us? Do you understand?"

Another blink.

Mizuki pushed Koujaku to the side and jerked Aoba's head to his direction. "Aoba! Aoba, talk to us. We found you. We got you out. You're safe now, so it's okay."

A squeak escaped from his lips.

"Master!" Clear cried, and ran up to the tub. "Master, I'm so happy you're awake! I was afraid you'd stay sleeping!"

He drew a ragged breath.

Noiz smirked. "About time, Aoba."

They all smiled down at him and watched as his eyes focused and opened wider.

And as he opened his mouth and let out a guttural scream.

They all froze as Aoba began to splash around in the tub, screaming and crying and reaching for the edge of the tub trying to get himself back up.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed as Noiz tried to lift him out of the tub so he wouldn't drown. "Leave me alone!"

_The black tiles. The strong hands. Holding him down. Touching him. Hurting him. Drowning him. Killing hi-_

He wouldn't stop. They saw the tear trails run down his face as Aoba convinced himself that he was back there with them. With his torturers. That they were going to pull his hair and make him cry and hurt him again and there was nothing he could do about it.

Koujaku took Aoba into his arms, trying to fight the erratic movements of his friend, and rocked him back and forth on his lap.

"It's okay, Aoba," he told him, talking lightly into his ear. "It's okay. You're not there anymore. They can't do anything to hurt you now. You're safe."

Aoba's abused body soon grew tired from his exertion, and the thrashings calmed down, only leaving sobs that wracked his body and made him shake. His head in Koujaku's shoulder Aoba cried.

"I'm sorry," he pleaded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me."

Koujaku bit his lip.

"You did nothing wrong Aoba," he whispered, rubbing his back, feeling his own tears betray him as they rolled unseen down his cheeks. "You did nothing wrong. It's alright now."

"It's alright."

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><p>AN: Hnnnnnnn~ Can anyone say rushed? I TRIED ; ^ ; Yeah, I'm not so happy with this one but oh well. /walks away like a poorly animated Ren Please review and shiz (so I can love you forever /heartsign and yeah! See y'all next week~ o v o


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: /causually makes an update Hi there! It's been quite a while but I'm back! So sorry its been so long hhhhhhh ; A ; *dodges bricks thrown by angry readers* Anyways, I'm here with another chapter and a long list of thank yous for everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed! Even to those who just read~ YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST LIKE I CANT EVEN ; v ; So yeah here's chapter three~

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><p><em>It was like he was underwater, his senses muffled and his consciousness wavering. But it wasn't like those times when when being underwater meant that <em>he was being forcibly pushed down and there was laughing and there was too much noise with the loud pounding in his ears and the agonizing sound of the water angrily moving around him and they would wrap their hand around his throat even though he couldn't breathe anyways and he would be brought up only to be pushed back down.

_No_.

_It was a calm kind of feeling, as if he was floating and those hands that were holding him were actually just waves that took him into its embrace and rocked him back and forth with its swinging motion. He knew he shouldn't let his guard down, but unconsciously he let himself relax, and allowed his tears to fall._

_Someone kept talking to him. They spoke to him for a while, never faltering, and let their voice act as a beacon, an anchor that would keep him out of that dark, cold room. He could hear distant whispering and shuffling around him, but he tried not to pay attention. He didn't want it to become overwhelming. He didn't want it to become too much. But then he remebered that they tried to put him in the tub. _They tried to put him in the tub and there were more of them this time and he repeats to himself that he needs to run or hide or do anything that would allow him to escape even though he knows that it's never worked and the only thing he can do is apologize and say 'I love you' until his throat is raw and his mouth tastes of salt and blood, and they are done painting him purple and white and red.

_Images flash in his mind, fragments of his nightmares enveloping him, making the water he was calm floating in turn cold. Until he became aware of crimson eyes that locked onto his and, through heavy eyelids, he sees the waves of pain that threaten to crash along the shore. He was confused. They spoke to him, and those eyes sang a silent dirge, asking him to stay. _

_And Aoba felt his heart break. _

_Because the person who wanted him to stay was causing him the most pain by not allowing him to leave._

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><p>"I think we should bring him to the hospital."<p>

Koujaku swallowed the lump in his throat and the chilling words.

Aoba lay sprawled on the white linen sheets on his bed, one arm wrapped around almost like he was trying to keep himself warm, even though he was carefully covered with a blanket, with Koujaku on the carpet beside the bed, petting Aoba's hair. It was dusk, the orange light from the setting sun making the walls of the room glow and the cool air blowing in from the open window making it easier to breathe. They all stood scattered around the room, far enough so that upon awaking, Aoba wouldn't be frightened, but close enough so should Aoba's sleep be disturbed or his chest stop moving up and down, they would be there.

Mizuki stood by the door of the small guest room, sitting by the frame with his head in his hands. "I think it's the best thing we can do for him right now," Mizuki continued when no one had said anything. "We can only do so much here, ya know. And I hate to say it, but if not treated well, a lot of those injuries could get really bad. Especially the ones on his arms and around his neck and," Mizuki looked at the floor. "Elsewhere."

Noiz spoke up from his spot by the window, his arms crossed. "I don't know if that's such a great idea..."

"Yeah," Clear chimed in, his eyes wide. "if anything, we should bring Aoba-san to Tae-san! She was a doctor, wasn't she. And she is someone we can trust with Aoba-san, so..." He looked at them hopefully, wanting them to agree with him.

"But we shouldn't bring Aoba to Tae-san like this!" Koujaku interjected. "We don't know what that'd do to her, giving her the responsibility to fix her grandson." He looked back to Aoba. "Seeing him like this would kill her."

"That's why a hospital would be best," Mizuki said. "The same hospital I went to when I was recovering. They have good people, and they were able to handle my injuries. They'll be able to handle his."

"You dumb asses, I meant that we shouldn't move him at all." Noiz's angry voice sounded from his corner of the room and silenced them all and, for the second time that day, Koujaku saw emotion flash across Noiz's face. This time, it was rage.

Arms crossed, he sneered at them as they stared blankly at him, shocked. Mizuki was the first to respond. "What do you mean don't move him? We can't handle something like this! it's obvious what happened to Aoba, and the damage we can see is only on the surface. We need help for him!"

"Fine," Noiz said. "Take him to his grandmother's or the hospital. But don't be prepared to take him back!."

And silence once again reigned.

Koujaku spoke up. "W-what are you talking about?"

Noiz turned to him, his green eyes burning into his own.

"...What?" Koujaku asked.

"You heard me," Noiz snapped. "If you bring him anywhere else, don't expect to bring him back without a fight." His voice rose. "You guys seem to forget, but Aoba was kidnapped! By some fucked up dudes at that. We took him back while they were gone. But they're gonna immediately notice he's gone when they come back." He glared at them all. "And where do you think the first places they'll check are?"

The four of them stood there and stared back and forth at each other.

They hadn't thought about that.

They were so excited about getting Aoba out that they hadn't thought about the guys who kidnapped him in the first place.

Aoba still wasn't safe.

Clear went over to Noiz and asked him, "So...what do we do then? I-if we don't do anything about his injuries, Aoba-san might...he might...die."

Suddenly, the room was to cold. The wind that was calmly blowing through the window now seemed to come in strong gusts, chilling them all, sending intense shivers to go down their spine.

Koujaku grabbed Aoba's hand and looked out the window. "Aoba's gonna be okay, Clear. We're gonna fix him from here, and we're gonna do everything we can."

Aoba unconsciously curled into himself.

* * *

><p>"...Well this is awkward"<p>

"Listen, you're the one who didn't wanna take him to a hospital so we're gonna have to do this ourselves or he'll get an infection!"

"It might be a little late, Mizuki. He has a fever."

"Damn. Well, just try to clean it out as much as you can, okay?"

"I don't think Aoba-san would appreciate this."

"Clear, keep an eye on Aoba's breathing while we do this alright? Make sure he stays on the bed and he doesn't move too much when we../go in him."

"Alright, Koujaku-kun."

"Alright, I'm gonna take off his pants now."

"Watch it usagi..."

"Maybe it'll be better if I do it."

"Yeah, I'd rather that, Mizuki."

"Alright."

...

"Fucking hell..."

"God damn..."

"What kind of fucking people..."

"Just do what we're supposed to do and clean it out. Then we can move on to his other injuries."

Aoba let out a cry of pain, curling up on his side. He gagged.

"Aoba-san..."

"Dammit, we're hurting him!"

"It's alright Koujaku, calm down. We're almost done."

"...I'm gonna kill them..."

"It's alright. We're done."

"Will it cause an infection still?"

"Looks like we'll have to wait and see."

Aoba's pants were pulled back up, and the plastic gloves they used were disposed of.

* * *

><p>Aoba lay in bed with Clear hovering over him, applying fresh bandages to his wrists and neck. The damage done to both areas at first glance was extreme, but seemed to have been cruelly 'healed' by Aoba's former captors. Harsh, zig-zagged lines found their way into his skin, and taking into account the other marks on his body, Koujaku knew that Aoba was just as scarred as he was.<p>

Clear used the utmost precision when applying Aoba's bandages, cleaning out the wounds gently, carefully grabbing his thin arm completely avoiding the bruises and slowly wrapping the cloth around it. When Clear was done, he tucked Aoba back in and began to put the medical supplies away, and everyone seemed to come alive again.

"Are the cuts bad?"

"Do you think they need stitches?"

"Were they infected? Is his fever going to get worse?"

Clear just calmly closed the medical kit and smiled at all of them. "Calm down," he said softly. "Aoba-san's alright. He had a couple deep lacerations but nothing that time can't heal." He warmly looked down at Aoba, and applied a cold rag to his forehead. "As for his fever, only time will tell. He's really malnourished and that has taken a blow to his immune system. But if we keep an eye on him, and maybe get him to eat something when he wakes up, he should be fine."

An unspeakable burden found it's way off his shoulders and Koujaku found himself speaking those words in his head.

_Aoba-san's alright._

_Nothing time can't heal._

_He should be fine._

At this time, Mizuki announced that he was going to find something for them all to eat, cause it had been at least eleven hours since they brought Aoba back, and the last thing they needed was for them to start collapsing from exhaustion headed out. Noiz also disappeared, but was probably just hiding somewhere in the house. Koujaku knew the usagi wasn't a people person.

Aoba was the only one who could get him out of his shell.

He carefully ran his scarred, calloused fingers through Aoba's scraggly, uneven hair. He watched as he calmly took a quiet breath in, and let a quiet breath out. His face was calm. He looked peaceful.

_"Don't touch me!"_

_"Leave me alone!"_

_"I'm sorry..."_

_"Forgive me..."_

He looked so peaceful.

"Do you know where he might have gotten those wounds from Clear?"

Clear looked up at Koujaku with wide eyes.

"Why do you ask Koujaku-kun?"

"I dunno," he responded, "I guess I'm just curious as to what exactly happened to him." His hands continued running through Aoba's hair. "And I don't think he's gonna be open to telling us what happened to him either. And its just...those marks look odd. They're going straight down his arm, and they're pretty deep. So was it the chains that were binding him? Or maybe the animal who scratched up his back and bit him."

Clear looked at Koujaku with sad eyes and quietly spoke.

"You're really observant Koujaku-kun," he said. "They are odd markings. And comparing these cuts to the other ones on his body, we can assume these weren't done by his captors, so that isn't what happened. But taking into consideration the situation Master was in, I think we can figure out what happened."

Koujaku's heart stopped.

"He was tired, so Aoba-san did those to himself."

* * *

><p>AN: OMF don't hate me ; . ; So yeah, that's that I guess. I don't write these chapters ahead of time so we're gonna find out about those scars Aoba has in some unknown later chapter *evil laugh* But stating so, yeah, I don't write or think about these chapters ahead of time. It's just when I feel like writing, I write and then I post which is why it takes m e so long ;- v - But OMG thank you for being patient~ Please review and shiz and I'll see again with chapter four ๑- ω -๑)


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